Mechanical eye.



J. A. MANNING.

MECHANICAL EYE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 13, 1913.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Attorneys J. A. MANNING.

MECHANICAL EYE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1913.-

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOSEPH A. MANNING, or rnwruoxnr, RHODE ISLAND.

MnorrANIcnI. EYE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed November 13, 1913. Serial No. 800,843.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. MANNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Mechanical Eye, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in mechanical eyes, and more especially to eyes for use in connection with dolls or other toy animals or manikins, one object of the invention being the provision of an eye mounting, whereby the eye is permitted gyratory movements so that the pupil and iris may be moved from side to side or may be moved vertically to simulate the opening and closing of the eye as well as sidewise glancing. Y

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a shield member adapted to be supported in the eye aperture of the head of the doll or other imitation and form a support for an ovoid shaped eye, which is pivoted for oscillation about or upon its vertical axis and also for swinging movement in right angles thereto.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a side elevation of a doll head with a portion thereof broken away to show the proper positioning of the present mechanical eye. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view through the complete mechanical eye, dotted lines illustrating the positioning of the parts when the eye is simulating a closed eye. Fig.- 3 is a rear elevation of the complete mechanical eye with a portion of the support broken away to show the position of the axis rod. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the complete eye; Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view showing the method of connecting the spring to return the parts to normal position. Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing the eye mounted for simply opening and closing. .Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a complete eye embodying the present invention and mounted for producing a glancing effect only. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the present, invention "as applied to a spherical eye ball. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the blank constituting the support for the eye as shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig.

ing and closing only. Fig. 12 isa plan view of the blank used in connection therewith.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates ashield shaped member which is provided with the eye aperture 2 and with the flange or rim 3 which grips the adjacent portion of the material of the eye aperture 4; of the doll or other mechanical toy to be provided with the eye, so that the shield member 1 constitutes the main support for the ovoid-shaped eye.6, through the instrumentality of the two apertured lugs 5 of the shield 1, as will presently appear.

The ovoidal member 6, is provided with, therethrough at a the transverse slots 7 point above the center line, and with a bore 8 extending from its lower reduced end to a point above the slot 7 and in the longitudinal axis of the member 6, there being a cross slot 9 formed in the lower reduced end so that when the axial rod '10 is inserted in the bore 8, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, the hooked portion 11 will seat within the slot 9 and thus retain the rod 10 against independent rotation. The lower end 12'of the rod 10 is bent at right angles and carries the counter balancing means or Weight 13 to impart the desired transverse oscillations to the member 6.

The flat plate or arm 14 is projected through the slot 7, its apertured end having passed therethrough the rod 10. The two outwardly curved arms 15 are provided with the pivoting pintles 16' which fit 1n the apertured lugs 5 of the shield 1, and thus constitute with the plate 14 and the rod 10, a support for the eye member 6, so that the said member may be swung, the apertured lug 5 and the pintles 16' being the pivotal point for the same. Thus with this construction the member 6, when the doll head is in a vertical position, Wlll a s-' sume the full line positions as shown 1n Figs. 1 and 2, permitting the supporting member 1 to assume the dotted l ne posi- 4 of a spherical eye ball mounted for opention as shown in Fig. 2 when the head is in a reclining position, the member 6 thus at all times being "substantially vertical. The downwardly curved and extending plate 16 is provided with the slotted lower end 17 which receives the lower portion of the rod 10 beyond the hooked or offset portion 11 and thus with the plate 14 constitutes a journal for the rod so that the rod may r0- tate to impart to the member 6, a sidewise oscillation due to the side tipping of the doll head, thus moving the iris and pupil of the eye, as indicated in Fig. 4, from the full to the dotted line position. In order to provide a means for counter balancing the efiect of the weight 13 to maintain the eye in the vertical position or as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, a spring 18-has one terminal connected to the rod 8 below the end 17 of the plate 16 and has its other terminal 19 secured fixedly to the terminal 16. llhis spring may or may not be used but it is preferred that the same be attached and as it is what is known as a hair- 'spring, it is evident that a slight retardance only is offered to the movement of the weight 13 when the doll head is tilted to cause the shield 1 and eye member 6 to assume the position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

If so desired, the means for imparting the glancing effect of the eye may be dispensed with, at which time, the eye member 6 will be mounted asshown in Fig. 7 so that the pin 20 through the lugs 5 of the shield 1 will constitute the pivoting means so that the member 6 may be moved to eye opening and closing positions only.

in the form of eye shown in Fig. 8, the 'ovoidal eye carrying member 6*, is constructed and mounted to have a glancing effect only. This is accomplished by means of the support or shield member 1 being provided with the reduced end' 21, which fits upon and around the straight portion 12 of the axial stem of the eye. By this means, the membei' 6 is prevented from any verticai movement, but is permitted the desirable lancing movement upon its axis due to the weight 13 and the spring 18.

In the form of eye shown in Fig.9, the spherical eye member 6 is mounted for both the opening and sleeping effect and the glancing effect, it necessitating a slight modification of the structure of the shield and supporting means, the shield 1 being mounted upon the pins 22 carried in the terminals of the arms 23, the lower terminal 24 thereof being mounted to embrace the lower portion of the stem 26, while the arm 25 which is formed integral with the arms 23 and 24 also surrounds the stem 26 and thus permits the same the desired action upon its axis so that the carrying terminal 1 9 which. is connected to the ball 6", will permit the weight 13 to properly rotate the ball to impart the glancing effect thereto. The spring 18 is employed to act in a similar manner to the spring 18 heretofore described. v

In Fig. 10, is shown the arms 23, 24 and 25 in their blankposition before bending.

In Fig. 11, the eye member 6 is connected through the stem 27 to the weight actuated member 28, the weight 29 being disposed at the lower end, while the arms 30 thereof are pivoted at 31 to the shield 1. By this means, the eye member 6 is permitted only the opening and closing effeet or vertical movement.-

In Fig. 12, the blank for the the stem 27 is shown.

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanical eye, including a concaved support provided with an eye aperture, means for attaching the supporting member to a doll head projecting from the supporting member adjacent the aperture,

arms 30 and and an ovoidal' eye carrying member pivoted to'the support, the point of pivoting being the transverse axis of the semispherical end of the eye carrying member.

2. A mechanical eye, including a concaved support provided with an eye aperture, means for attaching the supporting member to a doll head projecting from the supporting member adjacent the aperture, an ovoidal eye carrying member, a rod extending into and forming the vertical axis of said member, and means pivotally connected to said rod and also to the support, whereby the ovoidal eye carrying member {is permitted transverse and vertical oscillations.

3. A mechanical eye, including a concaved support provided with an eye aperture, an outwardly flared flange formed upon the exterior of the support adjacent the eye aperture and constituting a supporting means to engage the doll head, an ovoidal eye carrying member, a rod extending into and forming the vertical axis for said member, a frame connected to the rodwithin the eye carrying member and to the rod below the said member, means for pivotally connecting the frame to the support, the pivotal connection with the rod permitting the eye carrying member a transverse oscillatory iic movement while the pivotal connection of of the rod for imparting transverse OSCllllatory movement to the eye carrying member.

4. A mechanical eye, including a concaved support provided with an eye aperture, a rim extending around the aperture and conits stitut-ing a connecting means to support the concaved support in position, two rearwardly extending lugs carried by the sup port, a frame having two arms pivotally connected to said lugs for vertical swinging movement, and an eye carrying member connected to and movable with the frame.

5. A mechanical eye, including a concaved support provided with an eye aperture, a rim extending around the aperture and constituting a connecting means to support the concaved support in position, two rearrying member transverse oscillatory movement.

6. A mechanical eye, including a concaved support provided with an eye aperture, a rim extending around. the aperture and constitutlng a connecting means to support the concaved sup ort in position, two rearwardly exten ing lugs carried by the support, a frame having two arms pivotally connected to said lugs for vertical swinging movement, an ovoidal shaped eye carrying member provided with a transverse slot into which a portion of the frame projects, a rod forming a portion of the longitudinal axis of the eye carrying member journaled in a portion of the frame below the eye carrying member and constituting with the frame a support to permit the eye carrying member transverse oscillatory movement, and a weight connected to the lower end of the rod for oscillating the eye carrying member due to the sidewise tilting of the concaved support.

7. -A mechanical eye, including a concaved support. provided with an eye aperture, a

rim extending around the aperture and constituting a connecting means to support the concaved support in position, two rearwardly extending lugs carried by the support, a frame having two arms pivotally connected to said lugs for vertical swinging movement, an ovoidal shaped eye carrying member provided with a transverse slot into which a portion of the frame projects,.a rod forming a portion of the longitudinal axis of the eye carrying member journaled in a portion of the frame below the eye carrying member and constituting with the frame a support to permit the eye carrying member transverse oscillatory movement, a weight connected to the lower end of the rod for oscillating the eye carrying member due to the sidewise tilting of the concaved support, and a spring connected to the frame and the rod for holding the rod and weight in an intermediate position and for retarding the movement of the weight.

8. A mechanical eye, including a main supporting member, a frame having a centrally projecting plate and two outwardly curved arms, the two arms being pivotally connected to the main support for vertical swinging movement, an ovoidal shaped eye carrying member provided with a transverse slot adjacent the semi-spherical end thereof for the reception of the plate of the frame, the curved arms fitting *ride of the eye carrying member, the low end of the eye carrying member being prc led with a recess, a rod extending to form the longitudinal axis of the eye carrying member and provided with an offset portion seated within the recessed portion thereof to lock the rod against independent rotation, and means connected to the lower end of the rod for imparting transverse oscillatory movement to the eye carrying member when the main support is tilted sidewise.

9. A mechanical eye, including a mam supporting member, a frame, having a centrally projecting plate and two outwardly curved arms, the two arms being pivotally connected to the main support for vertical swinging movement, an ovoidal shaped eye carrying -member provided with a transverse slot adjacent the semi-spherical end thereof for the reception of the plate of the frame, the curved arms fitting astride of the eye carrying member, the lower end of the eye carrying member being provided with a recess, a rod extending to form the longtudinal axis of the eye carrying member and provided with an offset portion seated within the recessed portion thereof to lock the rod against independent rotation, the frame being provided with a downwardly cur ved arm which is disposed to extend below the recessed end ofthe eye carrymg member to form a journal for the rod therebelow, and no means mounted upon the extreme lower end of the rod for imparting o ,illatory movement to the eye carrying m mber when the main support is tilted transversely.

10. A mechanical eye, including a con- 115 caved support provided with an eye aper ture, a rim extending around the aperture and constituting a connecting means to support the concaved support 1n positlon, two

rearwardly extending lugs carried by the 120 support, and an eye carrying member p1voted to the lugs for vertlcal swlnging move ment.

11. A mechanical eye, including a con caved support provided with an eye aperm ture, a rim extending around the aperture and constituting a connecting means to support the concaved support in posltion, an eye carrying member, a rod forming the vertical axis for the eye carrying member, 13a

and means engaging saidrod and the con- 7 -cavfed support-t0 permit "the eye carrying member both transverse and vertical-oscillations.

12. A mechanical eye, including a concaved support provided with an eye aperture, a rim extending arpund the aperture and constituting-a connecting means to support-the concaved support in position, and

algm ces ture,-' a :projction adj acentthe' aperture and ccnstituting a connecting'means to support 15 the'ccncayed 'supportin position, and an eye carryin'g'memlier pivotally mounted in the support.

lntestimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature 20 in-thmpr'esence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH A; MANNING.

Witnesses 2 EVER TT H. "DAViDSQE, VICTOR L. BLANOHARD. 

